Reincarnation and Rebirth

When the new emperor ascended the throne, Su Qing'er was brought into the palace, but she had not yet been given a title. Rumors and gossip spread throughout the capital, but the Su family did not care.

The emperor bestowed upon Su Ping a five-courtyard house, located within the second ring road of Qinglong Street, a rather good location. The Prime Minister Zong and Marquis Suining lived next door.

Grandma Su finally got to live a life where she could order servants around and act like a tyrant at home all day long.

Madam Chen still cared about her daughter, and said to Su Youfu, "Qing'er has entered the palace like this? Without a name or status, I don't even dare to go out now, people outside are pointing fingers at me."

Su Youfu sipped his wine and said nonchalantly, "What's wrong with going to the palace? Their daughter can't even get in if she wants to. Besides, Qing'er is going to accompany the Empress Dowager. What's wrong with that?"

Hearing Su Youfu's words, Madam Chen breathed a slight sigh of relief.

“Su Ping is getting on in years. Should we send someone back to Sunset City to finalize the marriage arrangements?”

Upon hearing this, Su Youfu's expression darkened. "What do you mean, 'finalize'? Don't you know our family's status now? Is that restaurant's daughter even worthy of my son?"

"But since the engagement has already been arranged, wouldn't it be inappropriate to go back on it?"

Su Youfu thought about it and realized that his son was now a general, and if word got out that he had broken off the engagement, it would probably be bad for his reputation.

"Then come in and become a concubine."

Ms. Chen hesitated, "I'm afraid that family won't agree."

"They wouldn't dare. Besides, she's going to be the General's concubine now; they'd be overjoyed. Yesterday, Minister Li from the Ministry of Revenue had tea with me and mentioned his second daughter. He's interested in a marriage alliance. Our family has no connections in the capital, so if we can form a marriage alliance with them, it will definitely help my son's future career."

The Su family claims to be a Grand General, but that's only out of respect. Su Ping is currently just a second-rank commander. If he wants to rise further, he'll need powerful backers.

Su Youfu was feeling quite pleased with himself, unaware that the Zhao family, having received the news, had already rushed to the capital overnight. They had barely survived the smoke of war, and their restaurant had been completely ruined. Occasionally, they heard Chen's family boasting about how their eldest nephew had become a high-ranking official in the capital, so the whole family immediately set off to prepare for their early marriage.

If it weren't for this war, their marriage would have already been on the agenda.

After Su Ping finished court, he heard his parents say this and tacitly agreed. That day, Minister Li treated him kindly and took good care of him. He guessed what the minister was thinking and was naturally happy about it.

Su Qing'er lived a carefree life in the palace. Before the Crown Prince established a Crown Princess, there were only two concubines in the harem. Now, they have both been granted the title of Consort, and the positions for the future remain vacant.

The two concubines included Gu Yuele, the daughter of the late Left Prime Minister, who was given the title of Consort Yue. The Left Prime Minister had only two sons and two daughters. His eldest son had injured his leg as a child and was unable to walk properly, spending his days in despair. His second son was a son born out of wedlock, but he disliked studying and only loved doing business. As a result, after the Left Prime Minister's death, the Gu family declined. It wasn't that they were destitute, but they had no influence in the court except for a few members of the collateral branches who still held a small position. Gu Yuele had also lost her support, and Zi Xingchen had gradually forgotten about her. Giving her the title of Consort was just a way of currying favor and letting the Gu family's former acquaintances know that the Emperor was not an ungrateful person.

The other is Xiang Minhui, the granddaughter of Minister of War Xiang. She was granted the title of Consort Hui. Minister Xiang has a very high reputation in the court, so Zi Xingchen has been staying in Consort Hui's palace during this period. Some people speculate that the emperor may make her empress.

Was Su Qing'er anxious? Of course she was, but Zi Xingchen seemed to have become a different person after returning to the palace. He was indifferent to her, unlike when she was on the run, when he was very considerate.

The Empress Dowager glanced at Su Qing'er, who was staring blankly at the bird's nest for a long time, and laughed, "Qing'er, is it that you don't want to keep this old woman company?"

Startled, Qing'er quickly put down her spoon, knelt down, and explained, "Your Majesty, please forgive me. I was just lost in thought."

"Oh? What are you thinking about?" The Empress Dowager casually stirred the bird's nest in her bowl. "His Majesty hasn't been to Yongshou Palace for a long time, has he?"

Su Qing'er's heart pounded. She hadn't been spending her time by the Empress Dowager's side for nothing; she had learned a lot about palace etiquette. She was very diligent in her efforts to get that position.

"Granny Guo, go and ask the Emperor if he has time to have lunch with me today."

"Yes."

The Empress Dowager gently helped Su Qing'er up, saying, "Get up. It's so cold. Why are you kneeling? You will stay and have lunch with me today."

Su Qing'er couldn't hide her joy. "Thank you, Empress Dowager."

Chu Linlin glanced at her, then lowered her head to drink the bird's nest soup, concealing the disdain in her eyes.

A short while later, Consort Ya came over to pay her respects to the Empress Dowager.

To demonstrate her filial piety towards the late emperor and to create an atmosphere of brotherly affection, Zi Xingchen bestowed upon these concubines who had children with the late emperor the title of Dowager Consort, allowing them to live out their remaining years in the palace. When their sons came of age, they could choose to move out of the palace with them.

In the Purple Cloud Kingdom, men reach adulthood at twenty and undergo a coming-of-age ceremony. Marriage can begin earlier, usually around sixteen or seventeen. It's rare to see someone like Xiao Yunting, who is already twenty and still unmarried after the New Year. Even if someone isn't married, their family will definitely arrange for concubines or maids. It's very rare for someone to be truly single.

The Third Prince is already seventeen and the Fourth Prince is fifteen, still far from adulthood. However, Zi Xingchen was very generous and bestowed upon them the title of Prince and a residence. The two have already moved out of the palace. In principle, Consort Jing and Consort Liang could also move out, but they said they were used to staying in the palace and wanted to spend more time with the Empress Dowager, so they continued to live in the palace.

No sooner had Consort Ya arrived at Yongshou Palace than the two of them followed, with the Seventh Prince's birth mother, Consort Shun, in the background.

"Oh, what a wonderful day it is today! Why are you all here together?"

The Empress Dowager found it noisy and exempted them from their morning and evening greetings, so she was quite surprised to see them.

Consort Liang glanced at Consort Ya without showing any emotion and said with a smile, "I was just worried that the Empress Dowager would be bored, so I specially made some of your favorite pastries and brought them here for you to try."

"Okay, thank you for your thoughtfulness."

It's said that three women make a drama, and when there are many women, there are bound to be many troubles.

Sure enough, as they chatted, the topic turned to the matter of choosing an empress.

Consort Jing glanced at Consort Liang, covered her mouth and laughed, "Sister Liang, your niece is deeply favored since she came in."

Consort Liang paused in her smile. "Sister, you jest. How could we possibly fathom the Emperor's thoughts?"

The Empress Dowager didn't seem to mind. "The Emperor's decision to establish an Empress is a major event. We are all his elders, so it's alright for us to help him out. However, whether to establish an Empress or choose a virtuous one ultimately depends on the Emperor's decision."